Dancing with the Stars is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the upcoming season 20, and today ABC announced the first 10 professional dancers who will take part in it. Unfortunately the list is not complete as a few more pros will need to be added (especially on the male side), but these 10 are all returning.
Here’s the list of 10 pros who will dance on DWTS season 20:
Mark Ballas
Artem Chigvintsev
Val Chmerkovskiy
Tony Dovolani
Sharna Burgess
Witney Carson
Allison Holker
Kym Johnson
Peta Murgatroyd
Emma Slater
Two-time winner Kym Johnson is returning after three seasons away from the U.S. version to her homeland of Australia where she competed on that country’s version of The Celebrity Apprentice and served as a judge on Australia’s DWTS.
Chigvintsev and Holker, who were both first-time pros last season, each got invited back, though there’s no word yet on season 19’s third newbie, Keo Motsepe.
This will be Dovolani’s 19th season as a pro, more than anyone else (breaking his longtime tie with Cheryl Burke as she’s taking the season off). It will be the eighth season of Val Chmerkovskiy, who is now the longest-running active pro without a win.
It was previously announced that longtime pro Cheryl Burke will leave this season for a new reality project on NBC while five-time winner Derek Hough will spend the season doing a stage show at Radio City Music Hall called New York Spring Spectacular. In addition, Karina Smirnoff won’t be returning either. Burke has been a part of the show for every installment since season 2, Smirnoff competed in 16 seasons and Hough, who joined in season 5, previously took a one-season sabbatical in 2011.
ABC also officially announced that while Derek Hough will be absent from season 20, he will return as a pro partner in season 21 this fall.
Without Burke, Smirnoff, Hough as well as Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Julianne Hough and Alec Mazo, this means DWTS season 20 will be missing the winners from 12 of the first 19 seasons.
Season 20 will also mark the final appearance of head judge Len Goodman. The 70-year-old Brit will return home across the pond to avoid the constant air travel required by judging two shows in two countries. He will once again be joined by Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Julianne Hough on the judging panel.
The celebrities for DWTS will be announced on Good Morning America on Tuesday, February 24. Dancing with the Stars season 20 premieres Monday, March 16 at 8pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
